


Ain't Gonna Drown

by LightLeadingMe



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: Anxiety, Friendship, Gen, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 13:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7575349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightLeadingMe/pseuds/LightLeadingMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was shivering, her breathing irregular, her eyes unfocused. It was bad. She was about to fall and there was no one there to catch her.</p><p>(or The one where Abby has an anxiety attack and Holtz is the only one that can calm her down, no matter how hard Erin tries...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ain't Gonna Drown

**Author's Note:**

> Got this wonderful idea from abbygaytes on tumblr. Thank you for your glorious headcanons. ;)

It started slowly. She lost her appetite. It wasn't unusual. Patty always yelled at her for not eating enough. She couldn't help it, she was stressed out most of the time. Abby thought nothing of it, that is, until she felt a cold draft wash over her and her throat formed a knot. She grabbed on to the edge of the work bench where her sketches were laid out and closed her eyes. Her heart rate sped up considerably fast and she felt the goosebumps rise on her skin, no matter the ninety degree weather outside mixing with the heat rising from the Chinese restaurant below them. 

"Abby?" 

Erin's voice was muffled, but it was close. 

"Hmm?" she put a shaky hand to her forehead and slowly rubbed it back and forth, trying to calm her breathing.

"Abby, you okay, girl?" Patty came from the other side of her and Abby could hear the concern in her voice. 

She felt a hand on her shoulder and finally looked up to find Erin, a frown etched on her face, staring down at her, worried out of her wits. "Abby?"

She was shivering, her breathing irregular, her eyes unfocused. It was bad. She was about to fall and there was no one there to catch her. Erin rubbed her back soothingly and talked slowly to her. It was gibberish to Abby. She couldn't stop fucking shivering. She was getting more and more upset and her breathing suddenly got worse. 

"What's going on?" Holtz asked as she entered the room. "Shit, Abby!"

Erin was pushed out of the way, a little too forcefully, and Holtz took her place. She grabbed Abby by her shoulders and brought her to her chest. Abby wrapped her arms around Holtzmann's waist, her hands gripping tightly at the blue overalls she was sporting. Holtz rocked her back and forth, whispering in her ear every now and then until finally, _finally_ , her uncontrollable shaking seized and her breathing slowed back down.

"In and out, Abby," Holtzmann said calmly as she breathed deeply with the woman in her arms. "In and out, there ya go..." And after a good ten minutes, Abby loosened her grip on Holtzmann and slowly pulled back. Holtz leaned down and pressed her forehead against Abby's. "Good?"

"Yes," she whispered. "Thank you."

"Do you need to lie down?" Holtz asked. "Let me get you a protein bar."

"No, I'm-" But Holtzmann was already walking to the cupboard where they held snacks. "Fine," Abby sighed and accepted the protein bar that Holtzmann practically shoved into her hand. 

"Ummm," Patty said lowly, catching the attention of Abby and Holtz, who both completely forgot that she or Erin were there. "What just happened?"

"She had an anxiety attack," Holtz said matter of factly. "It's a combination of physical and mental symptoms that are-"

"We know what an anxiety attack is," Erin jumped in, holding her hand up as if it would stop Holtz from explaining. "I tried for at least five minutes to calm her down before you showed up and I only seemed to make it worse. Why?"

Abby and Holtz shared a long look before returning their gazes to their friends. They both shrugged and returned to their work as if nothing happened, leaving Patty and Erin to contemplate what the hell just transpired in the past fifteen minutes.


End file.
